To connect your iPod to your stereo, you can buy a cable that has an headphone plug on one end and stereo RCA connectors on the other. (You need an empty set of inputs on your receiver.)
Car stereos are a little trickier. If you are lucky, your car stereo has auxiliary input; in that case, you can buy a suitable cable to connect the iPod to the car stereo. (I have a low-end Alpine stereo; it has auxiliary input. It had to be connected to the back of the head unit, which required pulling the head unit out, plugging the cable in, and snaking the cable out behind the dash.) If you do not have a car stereo with auxiliary input, you can try to use one of those little FM-radio transmitters that plug into the iPod. You have to look for a clear frequency band to transmit on. I didn't have much luck with this, the sound suffered from interference and static. This works better in rural areas where there are fewer FM stations.
I put up with one of those transmitters for a while.All the freq's were being used in the Savannah area where I work.The ol'Cd plyer was cutting out anyway,so I bought a new one with an auxillery input in the front.It's a step up JVC like the old one,,cost more,but damn if it wasn't worth it.I can plug my Nomad Zen Xtra in and ,tada,no more skipping or cutting out,1200 or so songs on shuffle.Don't use the CD player much now,don't have to.
Thank you for the info!